June 8, 2017 - Wyoming officials considering a permit for a new coal mine heard testimony about how the mine could lower groundwater and cause the ground to settle.

The testimony wrapped up Thursday. The Wyoming Environmental Quality Council now will take written comments from proponents and opponents before deciding on a permit in August.

Lexington, Kentucky-based Ramaco wants to mine coal from the Brook Mine near Sheridan for industrial purposes. That could include making carbon fiber, a material used in car and airplane parts.

It would be Wyoming's first major new coal mine in decades.

Local residents represented by the Sheridan-based Powder River Basin Resource Council worry the mine could lower the water table and blasting could destabilize their homes.

Ramaco officials say they've addressed those concerns to the extent required.

This comes the same day that a new coal mine officially opened in Pennsylvania.

The Acosta Mine will supply coal used in making steel and is expected to generate up to 100 full-time jobs. It's located in Friedens, about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

Corsa Coal Corp. says it decided in August to open the mine after a steel industry boom drove up prices for metallurgical coal. Pennsylvania awarded a $3 million grant for the project.

While the mine plans were laid out long before Donald Trump became president, Corsa's chief executive says Trump has made the entire mining industry more optimistic.